This little band called Okkervil River have been a band for almost 10 years. They come from the wonderful little town called Austin, Texas. Austin is actually not really that little. Not only is it the capital of Texas but it is also the 16th largest city in the United States. It is also home to that little festival called South by Southwest and that brilliant little band called Explosions in the Sky. Although Okkervil River have been around for a while, I really think that this is the album that is going to make them big stars. Or maybe just a little bit bigger stars. They really are brilliant. Any fan of the Shins should for sure also be an Okkervil fan. Imagine the Shins mixed up with some Will Oldham and Willie Nelson along with some darker bands like Black Heart Procession or Arab Strap. "Stage Names" is basically their fourth real album and it comes out this week.

I have been hearing friends talk about this band for years. Numerous people told me of their great devotion for Okkervil. But I didn't really give them the time they deserved until the last album, "Black Sheep Boy." The album was great and a bit magical. It got a lot of praise as I am sure this new one will get as well. I say magical mostly because of singer Will Sheff. He has one of those voices that is really easy to fall in love with. He is also in the band Shearwater with Jonathan Meiburg.
As I have been talking about this band more lately, I have also found out that many of my friends also like Okkervil River. It is always a nice little surprise to find out some of your friends like a band that you had hoped they would like.

I usually tend to get a bit obsessed with new albums. There have been so many good albums out this year already. And they keep on coming. Some of these bands with these amazing albums might be a little bit harder to find. But they are out there. They always have been. I am just hoping more and more people will keep finding out about this band and go buy all their albums. They deserve your support. And just in case you are wondering there is an actual river called Okkervil in the city of Saint Petersburg, Russia. But the band actually named themselves after a short story by Russian writer, Tatyana Tolstaya.

Here is a little Okkervil RIver video for the song "For Real" from the album Black Sheep. This video is really awesome and for some reason makes me think of my friend Laura Davis...

Also out today is the debut EP from theFlight of the Conchords. "The Distant Future" comes out this week on Sub Pop. I am already obsessed with these guys and blogged about them a couple blogs ago. In case you missed it...here it is. They will have an entire album for us to enjoy in a couple of months. If you have not checked out their show on HBO, you still have time. It is seriously one of the best things I have seen in while. It is satire for sure, but they have ended up creating some brilliant songs. Each episode has 2 or 3 musical numbers.

I am totally in on the joke, but somehow they have convinced me that the songs really are brilliant. And I think they are. These guys are hilarious songwriters. But they actually create some great little catchy songs. Part of me is on the floor laughing but the other part of me is really into the songs. The duo of Jemaine Clement and Bret Mckenzie share the vocal duties. And they actually have some great voices. There are 3 songs on this EP from the first couple episodes of the show. They are "Business Time," "If You're Into It," and "I'm Not Crying." In addition to this, you get 3 live songs recorded at Comix in NYC. Hearing the live songs just makes me want to see them live. Hopefully I will not have to wait too long. They have played a couple of show already and I know they will be playing some more once the full length album comes out.

Here is a clip of Jemaine and Bret performing "I'm Not Crying" on the show Flight of the Conchords. I could seriously watch this video over and over again. Brilliant...